Ads Want More Than Class A, Aa

April 03, 1992|By Barry Temkin.

Jim Meyers says the state basketball tournament is great the way it is, but he wants to make it better.

Meyers is among a group of athletic directors from the Northwest Suburban Conference who want to expand the tournament`s present two-class system to four classes. Many fans still haven`t accepted the 1972 change from one class to two. Mention further expansion, and they start to look like Bob Knight after a 20-point loss.

Johnsburg`s Meyers and fellow athletic directors Jim LePage of Wauconda, Ken Ricci of Round Lake, Dan Boland of McHenry and Doug Smith of Woodstock are unfazed. A four-class system, they say, would mean twice the current number of players could taste success at the regional, sectional and championship levels.

``We`re trying to create more opportunities for kids to set a goal and reach that goal,`` Meyers said. ``To have a chance to succeed.``

The five athletic directors will present their plan to the Illinois High School Association`s basketball advisory committee Tuesday. They hope to convince the committee to recommend their plan, or some variation of it, to the IHSA`s Board of Directors.

``We`re trying to give them some food for thought,`` Meyers said. ``None of this is etched in stone. It won`t hurt my feelings if 90 percent of it is changed. The biggest thing is we want them to look at it.

``I think the (current) system is a good one, but it should be able to withstand review. If it withstands review and stays the same, I can live with that, and so can everyone else. Our goal is to increase the number of classes if that`s what`s best for the state of Illinois and what`s best for the kids and the schools.``

Under the proposal, which would affect boys and girls, the current system of two Elite Eights would be replaced by four Final Fours. Classes 1A and 2A would play one weekend and 3A and 4A the next. All semifinals would be Friday, with all finals Saturday.

Using current enrollment figures, Meyers has calculated how the classes would break down for boys: 1A and 2A would each cover 30 percent of the basketball-playing schools, or 230 schools each. Enrollment would be 31 to 212 for 1A and 213 through 670 for 2A. Enrollment for 3A would be 677 through 1,644 and for 4A 1,662 through 4,591. Each of those two classes would cover about 20 percent of the basketball-playing schools, or 147 for 3A and 161 for 4A.

All Chicago Public League schools would be in 4A regardless of enrollment, which accounts for the difference between its total number of schools and 3A`s.

The five athletic directors surveyed the reaction of Illinois principals to a four class-system. Of those responding, 226 favored four classes, 25 wanted three and 208 said leave the current setup alone.

The five also studied tournaments around the country. Among 40 states responding to a survey, only five had one- or two-class systems, and 22 had four classes. According to Meyers, they found that when states added classes, they experienced increases in attendance and revenue.

Those are two arguments for a four-class system. Another is that under a Final Four setup, semifinalists would no longer have to play two games Saturday, and half the schools wouldn`t go home Friday, as under the current Elite Eight system.

Meyers stresses that under the proposal, eight teams would still play over two days in the boys tournament.

``We`re trying to make as litttle change as possible because people are resistant to change,`` he said.

Much of that resistance comes from those who believe that a four-class system would water down the tournament, that people would remember only the teams that won 4A.

Critics also say that increasing the number of classes increases the travel distance for some schools. Under the four-class proposal, travel would increase markedly for some 4A schools outside the Chicago area.

Meyers says there`s little self-interest in his support of the proposal. Johnsburg is now one of the smallest schools in Class AA and might be among the smallest in 3A under the new plan, making a state title still unlikely. But, he says, Johnsburg could avoid playing schools with 2,500 kids, and it might occasionally win a regional trophy, which is almost impossible now.

``We`re trying to get a better chance for kids throughout the state to feel what it`s like to succeed,`` he said. ``If you want to call that watering down, there are different definitions. I`m looking for things to make them feel better about the things they`re doing and accomplishing. Make better people.``

Expanding Illinois` various state tournaments has become a popular topic. Proposals to increase classes have been floating around in everything from cross country to wrestling, and the IHSA Board of Directors has directed the association`s staff to review the entire class system in all sports.

The board should take a hard look at the four-class plan because it deserves to be taken seriously. The feeling here, though, is that a two-class system is best for the game, that four tournaments would indeed water down the impact of what is now such a fine madness.

As for Meyers` argument that more players need to experience success, the feeling here is that success isn`t necessarily defined by victories and trophies, but by the honest pursuit of them. We need to emphasize to athletes that competing well, not winning, is the value of athletics.